With an NDA looming for its closely watched prostate cancer drug Provenge, Seattle-based Dendreon is scouting sites in Atlanta for an advanced, $80 million manufacturing site that could employ more than 300 people. The Atlanta Business Chronicle broke the news, which would be a coup for Georgia's biotech industry if it all pans out.
The company hasn't responded to the news yet, but the Chronicle reports that Atlanta's airport may be a key reason why Dendreon is looking at Atlanta. If approved later this year or early next year, patients' blood cells would be collected and sent to a central site and then returned for reinfusion. That kind of logistical issue makes a major airport in a central location a key part of the operation.
- read the report from the Atlanta Business Chronicle